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Casavant Frères Ltée. Opus 1841 (Highland Arts Centre Organ) facts for kids

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Casavant Frères Ltée. Opus 1841
Highland Arts Theatre Organ
Casavant Frères Ltée. Opus 1841
Background information
Origin Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genres classical, folk, popular, worship
Years active 1911 (1911)–present
Labels Highland Arts Theatre

The Casavant Frères Ltée. Opus 1841 is a huge pipe organ built by the famous Casavant Frères company from Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. This amazing instrument was first finished in 1911. It was known as Casavant Brothers - Opus 452 and was made for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. That church later became St. Andrew's United Church, and today it is the Highland Arts Theatre.

Opus 1841 has 33 different sounds, called speaking stops. These sounds are controlled by three keyboards (called manuals) and a pedalboard for your feet. With 2,045 pipes, it is the biggest organ on Cape Breton Island. The pipes are different sizes, from tiny ones (about 2 cm) to really tall ones (about 5 meters). The organ's front, its case, and all its pipes fill up the back part of the theatre building.

History of the Organ

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The front of the organ, called the façade. Some of these pipes make sounds, while others are just for decoration!

Let's look at how this incredible organ has changed over the years.

How the Organ Started: 1911

The original organ, called Opus 452, was bought in 1911 for the new church. It cost $5,395, which was a lot of money back then! This first organ was very heavy, weighing over 13 metric tons. It had three keyboards, 29 different sounds (stops), and 1,843 pipes.

Big Changes in 1946

In 1946, the Casavant Frères company rebuilt the organ. It was given a new name: Opus 1841. This work cost $7,600. During this rebuild, some parts of the organ were made electric. Three new sounds were added, and a new control desk (called a console) was installed. This new console had three keyboards and 2,045 pipes. It was designed to meet the standards of the American Guild of Organists (AGO).

Updates in 1962 and 1963

More work was done on the organ in 1962 and 1963. Some of the pipes were sent back to the factory to be reshaped. New sounds were added, replacing older ones. For example, a new "Harmonic Trumpet" sound was added to the Great Organ section. Also, new lead tubes were put in for the pipes you see on the front of the organ. Did you know that 30 of those pipes actually make sounds?

Keeping it Running: 1985 to 2005

For twenty years, from 1985 to 2005, almost all the old air tubes inside the organ were replaced. They used new plastic tubing instead. For just one small section of the organ, about 300 meters of tubing had to be changed!

Bellows Repair in 2008

In 2008, the 18-ton organ needed important repairs to its bellows. Bellows are like big lungs that push air through the pipes. The old sheepskin seams were replaced with a special rubberized cloth. These repairs cost $15,000. During this time, some tubular chimes that were added around 1929 were disconnected.

Tuning and Repairs in 2017

In February 2017, an organ tuner named Jean-François Mailhot spent a week working on Opus 1841. He cleaned and adjusted the "reed stops" (sounds that use vibrating reeds, like a clarinet). He worked on the Trompette, Oboe, and Clarion sounds in the Swell Organ, and the Trombone sound in the Pedal Organ. He also fixed a damaged pipe on the front of the organ.

What Makes Up the Organ?

Here are some basic facts about the Casavant Frères Opus 1841:

  • Builder: Casavant Frères Ltée, from St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada.
  • Original Build: Opus 452, 1911.
  • Rebuilt As: Opus 1841.
  • Control Desk (Console): It has a traditional look with a roll-top cover.
    • It has 3 keyboards (manuals).
    • It has pedals for your feet, placed according to AGO standards.
  • Sound Controls: You pull out knobs to choose the sounds.
  • Speaking Stops: There are 33 different sounds.
  • Pipes: It has 2,045 pipes!
  • Wind Power: A 3-horsepower electric fan in the basement blows air into the pipes.

Organists Who Played Here

Many talented organists have played this instrument over the years. Here are some of them:

  • W. D. Fife (signed the original contract)
  • A. F. MacKinnon
  • Fred Liscombe
  • Edward Stuart
  • H. W. Sparrow
  • William Raines
  • John B. Neild
  • William E. Fletcher
  • R. MacK. Wiles
  • A. J. McKnight
  • Mrs. Frank Crossen
  • Clifford L. Gates (started in 1946)
  • Vernon H. Atkinson (started in 1951)
  • S. Peter Fraser (started in 1964)

Concerts and Performances

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The Casavant Frères Opus 1841 organ inside the Highland Arts Theatre.

Even when it was still a church, St. Andrew's was known as one of the best places for concerts in Sydney. The building has a long history of hosting amazing performances. The church choir often performed long musical pieces called cantatas. Sometimes, choirs from eight different Sydney churches would gather to sing Christmas carols together.

Famous classical musicians often gave concerts and recitals here. This was because the building had fantastic sound quality and, of course, its wonderful Casavant Frères organ. In the mid-1950s, the Halifax Symphony Orchestra regularly performed at St. Andrew's. Their concerts were even broadcast on CBC Radio across the region and the country!

More recently, because it can seat over 1,000 people and has great sound, groups like Celtic Colours, The Barra MacNeils, and the Cape Breton Chorale have chosen to perform here.

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